One of the most common type of eye injuries is that of having a foreign body in the eye. A large proportion of the foreign bodies are metallic fragments. At the present time the eye is anaesthetized, a coloured dye is placed in the eye to assist in locating the fragment, and the physician uses a needle or syringe to remove the fragment. With the needle the physician picks at the fragment. With the syringe the fragment is drawn out of the eye. Often a combination of these techniques is used. The fragments are difficult to remove and the treatment can result in further irritation or injury to the eye.